Ponder Learns To Be Thankful
by
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Just this morning, Ponder Porcupine skipped happily over to the table and sat down to breakfast with Papa and Mama Porcupine. Mama had prepared waffles because Ponder likes waffles more than pancakes. “Ponder, would you like to go with me to visit Molly Muskrat today?” asked Mama. “No,” said Ponder, wrinkling up his nose. “She smells bad. And she wears that same dirty dress everyday!” Mama Porcupine frowned at him and said, “Ponder, that is not a nice thing to say! Molly is a sweet, gentle soul and a wonderful friend. I don't want to hear you say anything mean about her ever again!” “Yes, Mama”, answered Ponder as Mama waddled out the door. But under his breath he muttered, “But she does smell bad.” Papa, who had been quietly listening while reading the Northwoods News, slowly put down his paper. “Ponder, would you like to go on a walk with me? We could take our fishing rods down to the river and catch a few trout for supper. How about it?” “Yeah! We haven't been fishing in a zillion years, Papa! I'll go get my super-duper special rod, the one I got for Christmas! I'll be right back.” And he scooted out the door just as fast as his short legs could carry him. Papa Porcupine began gathering a basket with picnic food and then he ambled off to get his fishing gear. Before too long they were strolling toward the river. As they walked, they passed several critters wandering along the road. Some of them were not dressed very well at all and even looked quite raggedy and muddy. “Papa, why are all these folks wearing dirty, stinky clothes?! Don't they know they are supposed to wear clean clothes every day and take a bath? And look over there! There's Mr. Muskrat eating out of that garbage can in the park! Why is he doing that? That is so gross!” exclaimed Ponder. “Well, son,” said Papa Porcupine as they neared the river's edge, “if you look very closely you will see why we haven't been fishing in a while. No one has been able to fish in the river for many days. The river has flooded way over its banks and it hasn't been safe to go fishing.” Ponder looked confused. “But Papa, the Muskrats live down on the river bank. What happened to their home?” he asked. “Their home got destroyed by the flood.
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Ponder Porcupine is a pampered young porcupine. Being an only child, Ponder's world is pretty much perfect. He doesn't have to share his toys with any siblings and Mama always makes what he likes for dinner. So when Ponder comes face to face with a not-so-perfect world outside his comfortable home, he is not sure how to react. Ponder discovers that sometimes life is messy and smells bad. When Ponder visits some friends who have fallen on hard times,he learns an important lesson. He quickly sees how blessed he is and learns about being thankful!
Marla Jones understands the mind of the young child. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education, she taught first grade for twelve years and has written children's curriculum for her local church. Seeing how much her students enjoy animal fiction has prompted her to use this genre to teach life lessons with a biblical foundation in this fun, engaging manner. Mrs. Jones believes that now, more than ever, children should be taught to share God's love and blessings in our post-Katrina world. *Parent letter and scripture reference included at the end of the book. Mrs. Jones is married with two grown daughters and one grand-daughter, who has been the inspiration for at least one of her characters .
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